10 Christmas Party Games for Families, Friends and the Office

By Iaroslav Pavlov · Updated September 27, 2026

The best Christmas party games are the ones you can explain in one sentence while people are still holding their plates. Everything below needs little more than paper, pens and maybe a hat to draw from. We noted for each game who it suits and how long it runs, so you can pick two or three that fit your crowd.

1. Christmas picture bingo

Good for: mixed ages, from preschoolers to grandparents. Time: 10 to 20 minutes a round.

Each player gets a bingo card with Christmas pictures instead of numbers. The caller draws a picture from a hat and shows it, and players cover it if it's on their card. Picture cards with the word under each picture let kids who can't read play at the same table as everyone else.

Agree on the winning pattern before you start: one line, four corners, an X or a full card. Candies or chocolate coins make good markers, as long as nobody eats them mid-game. Try it with our free Christmas picture bingo, eight cards and all the caller cards.

2. Christmas trivia

Good for: adults, teens, teams. Time: 30 to 60 minutes.

Split into teams of three to five, read questions aloud and let each team write its answers on a sheet. Multiple choice keeps it fair for people who don't know much Christmas history, and a round of easy questions gives kids a chance to score. Swap sheets between teams for marking, and have a tiebreaker ready where the closest number wins.

3. Would You Rather

Good for: dinner tables, classrooms, office parties. Time: as long as you like.

Someone reads a question with two options ("Would you rather have a pet reindeer or a pet penguin?"), and everyone picks one and says why. There is no score and no losing, which makes it a safe game for colleagues who don't know each other well. For a big room, hold up a page with the question in large print and have people move to side A or B.

4. White Elephant gift exchange

Good for: adults, groups of 8 or more. Time: 30 to 60 minutes.

Everyone brings one wrapped gift, draws a number and, on their turn, either opens a new gift or steals one already opened. After three steals a gift is locked. Our White Elephant rules guide has the full rules, steal limits and three faster versions.

5. The LEFT-RIGHT gift pass

Good for: kids, big groups, the end of the night. Time: 5 minutes.

Everyone sits in a circle holding a wrapped gift. Someone reads a story aloud, and every time the word "left" or "right" comes up, the gifts move that way. When the story ends, you keep what you hold. It's quick and nobody loses anything, so it works well with young children.

6. Christmas scavenger hunt

Good for: kids aged 4 to 12. Time: 20 to 40 minutes.

Hide clue cards around the house, each one pointing to the next hiding spot, with a small present at the end. Rhyming clues suit younger children and riddles suit older ones. If you have both, give each age group its own trail. For children who can't read, a picture hunt works: a sheet of things to find and tick off.

7. Ugly sweater contest

Good for: adults, office parties. Time: 20 minutes plus the evening.

Ask everyone to wear their worst Christmas sweater, pin a number on each contestant and hand out ballots. Categories like Ugliest, Most Festive and Most Creative mean more than one person goes home with an award. A short runway walk before the vote gets people laughing.

8. Christmas charades

Good for: families, teens and adults. Time: 15 to 30 minutes.

Write Christmas movies, songs and things ("wrapping a present," "a reindeer landing on a roof") on slips of paper and put them in a hat. Players act them out for their team without speaking. Set a one-minute timer per turn.

9. Pass the parcel

Good for: young kids. Time: 10 minutes.

Wrap a small prize in many layers of paper, with a sweet or a joke between the layers. Play music while the parcel moves around the circle. When the music stops, whoever holds it takes off one layer. The person who removes the last layer gets the prize. Whoever runs the music should make sure every child gets a turn.

10. Guess the gift

Good for: all ages. Time: 10 minutes.

Put an everyday Christmas item in a sock or a gift bag: a pine cone, a bell, a candy cane, a cookie cutter. Guests feel it without looking and write their guess on a sheet. Do eight to ten items and read the answers at the end.

Picking Christmas party games for your crowd

• Mixed ages: start with picture bingo, end with the LEFT-RIGHT gift pass.
• Adults only: trivia in teams, then White Elephant.
• Office party: Would You Rather while people arrive, an ugly sweater contest, then a gift swap with a low budget.
• Kids' party: a scavenger hunt, pass the parcel, and coloring pages for the quiet corner. Our free Christmas coloring pages have six big, bold pictures.

Print everything the day before and put each game's pages in its own envelope. Party games fall apart when the host is hunting for the scissors.